Is Tijuana Safe Again?

Part 2 of 2

SAN DIEGO—Even with all the positive news coming out of the city about development, food and art, this nagging question of Tijuana's safety remains—and the answer is not clear cut, Fident Capital associate Silva Kanerva tells GlobeSt.com. In part 1 of this two-part exclusive story, we discussed with Kanerva how much Tijuana has changed in the last decade. In part 2, below, we tackle the safety question and how locals view this Mexican city.

GlobeSt.com: What's been happening in Tijuana with regard to food, beer and the arts?

Kanerva: Enterprising locals are key to the city's success. They've been busy developing top-notch food, beer, and art that engages local residents and entices San Diegans to travel down regularly. Tijuana's most notable chef, Javier Plascencia, has restaurateuring in his blood. His father, Juan, is known as the pioneer of Baja Med, the style of cuisine now embraced in Tijuana. In 2010, his brother, Juan Jr., reopened the famous Caesar's Restaurant, birthplace of the Caesar salad. Javier's Tijuana restaurants range from the high-end Misión 19 to a casual seafood spot called Erizo. In fact, there are a multitude of fine restaurants all over the city that offer creative, unique, and delicious dishes that one would be hard-pressed to find in the US. On the other end of the spectrum, food collectives such as the Food Garden in Plaza Río offer a mix of low cost options from small vendors that are sure to delight the tastebuds.

Craft and micro-breweries are popping up all over the city as well, hidden behind shops, in alleyways, even underground. On a recent visit to Mamut brewery, a popular spot located right off of AvenidaRevolución, I found a craft brewery scene reminiscent of those I'd find in San Diego. While the offerings were limited, the $1-per-pint price couldn't be beat, and the amber ale I chose was quite good.

The art scene, which died down during the years of drug violence, is re-emerging stronger than ever. According to Voice of San Diego, the Estación Federal, a mixed-use building next to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, is well on its way to becoming a center of art and culture once more. Before closing around 2010, it housed everything from art shows to UCSD students.  Now, it's almost completely renovated and offers art installments, retail, restaurants, and Airbnb units. Centro Ventures, the development firm behind the project, considers projects like this the future of redevelopment in Tijuana.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, another cultural center and art gallery, La CajaGalería, just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. It had to close its doors during the height of the drug wars, but founder Arturo Rodríguez refused to give up and operated it solely online until he could reopen again in the following years. It's now thriving again, and he's even offering certified classes in art history and art-making.

Another boon to the area is Baja California's burgeoning wine country, the Valle de Guadalupe, featuring world-class accommodations and restaurants. While the number of wineries has exploded in the past few years, it retains a more low-key feel than traditional wine regions like Napa, says Bloomberg, and is definitely worth a visit.

GlobeSt.com: But is Tijuana safe again?

Kanerva: Of course, even with all of the positive news coming out of the city about development, food, and art, there's one nagging question that remains: Is it safe? The answer is yes, and no. Like any city, there are safe areas and there are unsafe areas. Turf wars between cartels remain a problem. The statistics, though, are quite illuminating. Even at the height of the drug violence in 2010, Tijuana's homicide rate of 60 per 100,000 residents was still significantly lower than that of New Orleans' rate of 84 per 100,000 at its peak in 1994. Tijuana's homicide rates post-2012 remain much lower than those of Detroit, New Orleans, St. Louis and other American cities.

Of course, visiting any foreign country without knowing the language is inherently more dangerous than traveling within one's own, but with that knowledge in mind and some common sense, there's no need to worry about a trip down south. I recently met a fellow San Diegan in the real estate industry, Isabel Cárdenas-Viteri, who travels down to Tijuana about once per month with her husband and two small children. She said that while Tijuana's reputation precedes itself in America, she feels perfectly comfortable taking her family there regularly to attend shows and fairs, patronize restaurants and enjoy the city. She said, “I wish the people of San Diego would be more open-minded to getting to know Tijuana [and] enjoy the differences; open their eyes and hearts to things that look different.”

GlobeSt.com: How do the locals view Tijuana?

Kanerva: A lifelong native, Aryan Serrano Garcia, gave me his unique perspective on life in the city in the years before, during and after the explosion of drug violence. Even at the height of the drug wars, he said, local residents were largely removed from it. A student at the time, he was able to travel by public transportation each day without incident. While the horrific violence was well-documented in the news, it didn't reach the general populace as much as one might imagine.

Now, he says, life is pretty normal. The lower classes earn from $350 to $750 US per month, living paycheck to paycheck, and life remains tough. The middle and upper classes earn anywhere from $800 to $2500 US per month and, while life is not always easy, they have access to international goods and can enjoy food, art and music.

Furthermore, there is opportunity for growth there. Raised by a single mother, Garcia was able to earn both his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and his MBA. He now owns two small businesses in the city, on top of working a day job and raising a family. Sounds like the American dream, à la Tijuana.

GlobeSt.com: What should first-time visitors know about visiting Tijuana?

Kanerva: There are numerous options for visiting the city. Several companies, such as Turista Libre and Let's Go Clandestino, offer day tours that leave from and return to San Diego, perfect for first-time visitors who have not yet navigated the border crossing. Visitors can also choose to park in lots on the US side and cross the border by foot via the pedestrian bridge. Once across, cabs are waiting to take tourists wherever they want to go. For those with SENTRI passes, and even those without, driving across the border is a reasonable option as well. Visitors choosing this alternative must brave a “less structured” driving situation as well as the often-lengthy waits to reenter the US.

All in all, a healthy and flourishing Tijuana is wonderful for residents on both sides of the border. For Tijuana residents, the reasons are obvious. Not only is life safer and more enjoyable than it was eight years ago, American money flowing into the city (in positive ways, mind you) is a boon for the economy. For San Diego residents, many of whom have not considered visiting an option for many years, Tijuana presents an opportunity to go to another country and immerse themselves in another culture while traveling the same distance that Downtown San Diegans do to visit the Del Mar Racetrack. Tijuana has always been a melting pot, attracting Mexicans escaping from other parts of Mexico as well as Americans looking for a change of scenery. It's fitting, then, that it has developed its own identity, unique and separate from the rest of Mexico, and that it continues to evolve. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Tijuana is emerging from a time of strife greater than it was before.

Part 2 of 2

SAN DIEGO—Even with all the positive news coming out of the city about development, food and art, this nagging question of Tijuana's safety remains—and the answer is not clear cut, Fident Capital associate Silva Kanerva tells GlobeSt.com. In part 1 of this two-part exclusive story, we discussed with Kanerva how much Tijuana has changed in the last decade. In part 2, below, we tackle the safety question and how locals view this Mexican city.

GlobeSt.com: What's been happening in Tijuana with regard to food, beer and the arts?

Kanerva: Enterprising locals are key to the city's success. They've been busy developing top-notch food, beer, and art that engages local residents and entices San Diegans to travel down regularly. Tijuana's most notable chef, Javier Plascencia, has restaurateuring in his blood. His father, Juan, is known as the pioneer of Baja Med, the style of cuisine now embraced in Tijuana. In 2010, his brother, Juan Jr., reopened the famous Caesar's Restaurant, birthplace of the Caesar salad. Javier's Tijuana restaurants range from the high-end Misión 19 to a casual seafood spot called Erizo. In fact, there are a multitude of fine restaurants all over the city that offer creative, unique, and delicious dishes that one would be hard-pressed to find in the US. On the other end of the spectrum, food collectives such as the Food Garden in Plaza Río offer a mix of low cost options from small vendors that are sure to delight the tastebuds.

Craft and micro-breweries are popping up all over the city as well, hidden behind shops, in alleyways, even underground. On a recent visit to Mamut brewery, a popular spot located right off of AvenidaRevolución, I found a craft brewery scene reminiscent of those I'd find in San Diego. While the offerings were limited, the $1-per-pint price couldn't be beat, and the amber ale I chose was quite good.

The art scene, which died down during the years of drug violence, is re-emerging stronger than ever. According to Voice of San Diego, the Estación Federal, a mixed-use building next to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, is well on its way to becoming a center of art and culture once more. Before closing around 2010, it housed everything from art shows to UCSD students.  Now, it's almost completely renovated and offers art installments, retail, restaurants, and Airbnb units. Centro Ventures, the development firm behind the project, considers projects like this the future of redevelopment in Tijuana.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, another cultural center and art gallery, La CajaGalería, just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. It had to close its doors during the height of the drug wars, but founder Arturo Rodríguez refused to give up and operated it solely online until he could reopen again in the following years. It's now thriving again, and he's even offering certified classes in art history and art-making.

Another boon to the area is Baja California's burgeoning wine country, the Valle de Guadalupe, featuring world-class accommodations and restaurants. While the number of wineries has exploded in the past few years, it retains a more low-key feel than traditional wine regions like Napa, says Bloomberg, and is definitely worth a visit.

GlobeSt.com: But is Tijuana safe again?

Kanerva: Of course, even with all of the positive news coming out of the city about development, food, and art, there's one nagging question that remains: Is it safe? The answer is yes, and no. Like any city, there are safe areas and there are unsafe areas. Turf wars between cartels remain a problem. The statistics, though, are quite illuminating. Even at the height of the drug violence in 2010, Tijuana's homicide rate of 60 per 100,000 residents was still significantly lower than that of New Orleans' rate of 84 per 100,000 at its peak in 1994. Tijuana's homicide rates post-2012 remain much lower than those of Detroit, New Orleans, St. Louis and other American cities.

Of course, visiting any foreign country without knowing the language is inherently more dangerous than traveling within one's own, but with that knowledge in mind and some common sense, there's no need to worry about a trip down south. I recently met a fellow San Diegan in the real estate industry, Isabel Cárdenas-Viteri, who travels down to Tijuana about once per month with her husband and two small children. She said that while Tijuana's reputation precedes itself in America, she feels perfectly comfortable taking her family there regularly to attend shows and fairs, patronize restaurants and enjoy the city. She said, “I wish the people of San Diego would be more open-minded to getting to know Tijuana [and] enjoy the differences; open their eyes and hearts to things that look different.”

GlobeSt.com: How do the locals view Tijuana?

Kanerva: A lifelong native, Aryan Serrano Garcia, gave me his unique perspective on life in the city in the years before, during and after the explosion of drug violence. Even at the height of the drug wars, he said, local residents were largely removed from it. A student at the time, he was able to travel by public transportation each day without incident. While the horrific violence was well-documented in the news, it didn't reach the general populace as much as one might imagine.

Now, he says, life is pretty normal. The lower classes earn from $350 to $750 US per month, living paycheck to paycheck, and life remains tough. The middle and upper classes earn anywhere from $800 to $2500 US per month and, while life is not always easy, they have access to international goods and can enjoy food, art and music.

Furthermore, there is opportunity for growth there. Raised by a single mother, Garcia was able to earn both his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and his MBA. He now owns two small businesses in the city, on top of working a day job and raising a family. Sounds like the American dream, à la Tijuana.

GlobeSt.com: What should first-time visitors know about visiting Tijuana?

Kanerva: There are numerous options for visiting the city. Several companies, such as Turista Libre and Let's Go Clandestino, offer day tours that leave from and return to San Diego, perfect for first-time visitors who have not yet navigated the border crossing. Visitors can also choose to park in lots on the US side and cross the border by foot via the pedestrian bridge. Once across, cabs are waiting to take tourists wherever they want to go. For those with SENTRI passes, and even those without, driving across the border is a reasonable option as well. Visitors choosing this alternative must brave a “less structured” driving situation as well as the often-lengthy waits to reenter the US.

All in all, a healthy and flourishing Tijuana is wonderful for residents on both sides of the border. For Tijuana residents, the reasons are obvious. Not only is life safer and more enjoyable than it was eight years ago, American money flowing into the city (in positive ways, mind you) is a boon for the economy. For San Diego residents, many of whom have not considered visiting an option for many years, Tijuana presents an opportunity to go to another country and immerse themselves in another culture while traveling the same distance that Downtown San Diegans do to visit the Del Mar Racetrack. Tijuana has always been a melting pot, attracting Mexicans escaping from other parts of Mexico as well as Americans looking for a change of scenery. It's fitting, then, that it has developed its own identity, unique and separate from the rest of Mexico, and that it continues to evolve. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Tijuana is emerging from a time of strife greater than it was before.